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Blood that is not moving tends to clot, so Afib can result in small clots forming inside the chamber of the heart. If one of these clots leaves the heart and travels to the brain, it can cause a stroke.

A stroke happens when something such as a blood clot prevents blood from getting to the brain. With the supply of nutrients and oxygen cut off, cells in the brain can start to die.

When brain cells die, the part of the body controlled by that area of the brain may stop working, such as losing muscle control, memory or the ability to talk.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins used a standard MRI to check the hearts of 149 men and women who have Afib. They used special motion tracking software to evaluate the motion of the heart when it was beating irregularly.

The research team was able to identify changes in the muscles of the left atrium of some of the study participants that increased the risk of stroke for those patients.

Patients who are believed to be at higher risk of stroke are often prescribed blood thinning medications such as warfarin or other, newer blood thinners.

But there are risks associated with the use of blood thinners, including dangerous or life-threatening bleeding. So knowing whether blood thinners are truly necessary for a particular patient could significantly improve patient care.

The researchers hope to expand on their work to some day have an effective test to show which Afib patients are at higher risk of stroke. Such a test would reduce the number of patients who would need to take blood thinners.

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.